Did you know that the majority of negative tweets aimed at restaurants and other catering establishments are sent by users who are still on-site?

That is what Twitter’s own Elimear Lambe said at the Digital Innovation Forum yesterday.

Lambe also added that over half of users get information about restaurants via the social media platform and implored business owners and staff members should regularly check and update their feeds in a bid to nip potential problems in the bud and present themselves well.

“78% of those who leave a negative comment are still in the restaurant while doing so.

“This means that if you are monitoring your Twitter feed you have the opportunity [to] go over and solve the customer’s problems and turn it into a positive interaction.”

But she did point out that for every one TripAdvisor review posted there are around seven tweets, and the majority of those are actually very positive.

Force of attraction

Lambe also revealed how places can win custom via their efforts on social media. She commented that 52% of Twitter users are more likely to visit a restaurant if some promotion is mentioned and that 43% of people can be swayed by attractive looking pictures of their signature dishes. Proof, if it were needed, that ‘Food Porn’ is a powerful promotional tool.

Good publicity and reviews help too: Over a third (39%) are more likely to schedule a visit if people have mentioned having positive experiences.

Restaurant strategy

During the event a panel of restaurateurs, chefs and publicity teams also discussed their feels about the 140-character network, and how they incorporate social aspects into their business and long-term strategies.

One of the speakers, Libby Andrews, had this to say: “We know that we have to be flexible but consistent in our tweeting, that’s sort of a strategy in itself. You can have scheduled tweets, but we don’t really like them; we’d rather be in the moment. You never know what’s going to happen that day in the restaurant or the world and scheduling tweets risks getting the tone you’d like to put across at that time wrong.”

What’s your social media strategy?